Dr. Cal Stiller will receive the 2010 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award in recognition of his contributions to transplantation and diabetes, and as an entrepreneur and builder of institutions enriching Canadian research.
Stiller is a professor emeritus in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Dr. Cal Stiller
He established the Multi-Organ Transplant Service in London and served as the unit’s chief until 1996. During this period, he was principal investigator of the Canadian multi-centre study that established the importance of cyclosporine in transplantation and led to its worldwide use as first-line therapy for transplant rejection.
He was the first to demonstrate the efficacy of immunosuppression in newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes, establishing the disease as an immune disorder. He has published more than 250 scientific papers.
He is being honoured with one of the world’s most prestigious medical prizes for “his pioneering work in transplantation and diabetes, and as a remarkable entrepreneur and builder of private and public institutions that have greatly enriched the research landscape of Canada.”
The Canada Gairdner Wightman Award recognizes a Canadian who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science.
Stiller is the co-founder of two health-care funds, including the Canadian Medical Discoveries Fund Inc. where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He was a member of the council and executive committee of the Medical Research Council of Canada (1987-1993), was the founding chair of the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, and is chair (and co-founder) of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and of the Ontario Innovation Trust.
Stiller serves on the board of directors of several public endeavours and foundations and is co-founder and director of MaRS (Medical and Related Sciences Discovery District).
He is the recipient of numerous awards including the MEDEC Award (1992), the Order of Canada (1995) and the Order of Ontario (2000). He has received three Honorary Doctorates from McMaster University, University of Saskatchewan and The University of Western Ontario. He will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame this year.
He will receive the award at a gala in Toronto in October.